Unlock the Power of Digital Signature Legitimacy for Drug Testing Consent Agreement

How to eSign a document: digital signature legitimacy for Drug Testing Consent Agreement

welcome to this tutorial on signature requirements valid signatures and authentication the information given in this training is correct as of august 2020 the most current information related to this topic can be found on the meridian and cms websites at the links listed on this slide for medical review purposes medicare requires that services provided and ordered be authenticated by the author the method used shall be hand-written or electronic signature stamped signatures are not acceptable with one exception that i'll discuss in an upcoming slide the cms rules pertaining to signatures apply to all providers and suppliers of medicare services any medical record submitted to medicare for review must contain a valid signature in the case of review without proper signatures the documentation is considered invalid and cannot be used to support payment for services rendered and orders given there are four exceptions to the signature requirements when reviewing medical documentation exception 1 faxes of original written or electronic signatures are acceptable for certifications of terminal illness for hospice exception 2 there are some circumstances when an order does not need to be signed such as orders for some clinical diagnostic tests if the order for one of these tests is unsigned there must be medical documentation by the treating physician that he or she intended the test to be performed this documentation showing the intent must be authenticated by the author exception 3 for medical review purposes if the relevant regulations such as a national or local coverage determination is silent on whether the signature needs to be legible or present and the signature is illegible or missing the reviewer shall follow the signature guidelines in cases where the relevant regulation has specific signature requirements those signature requirements take precedence and exception 4 cms would permit use of a rubber stamp for signature in the case of an author with a physical disability that can provide proof to a cms contractor of his or her inability to sign their signature due to their disability the first acceptable signature is a handwritten one a hand-written signature is a mark or sign by an individual that signifies knowledge approval acceptance or obligation electronic signatures are another acceptable format and listed here are acceptable examples a full listing is provided in change request or cr 6698 the signature must also show the date and time reminders for submitting records to a review entity include ensuring the documentation has been signed by the provider submitting final copies and not preliminary or draft copies of documentation and indications that a document has been signed but not read are not acceptable with electronic signatures be sure the system and software products chosen are protected against modification and applies adequate administrative procedures that correspond to recognized standards and laws we encourage providers to check with attorneys and malpractice insurers concerning the use of alternative signature methods on an electronic signature record there is usually a statement such as authenticated by reviewed by or approved by these sorts of statements are appropriate on the electronic record prescriptions for drugs incident to durable medical equipment or dme must be made using a qualified e-prescribing system within cr6698 signature requirements it lists different scenarios and when an attestation statement or signature log is required this is a snapshot of some of the different scenarios refer to the change request for a complete listing of the scenarios authentication is needed when the signature requirements are not met a signature log is used to verify a signature when it isn't legible the log shows the provider signature along with a typed or printed name the log can be indicated on the actual page where the initials or illegible signature are used or on a separate document it's helpful to list the provider's credentials in the log however it isn't mandatory reviewers consider all submitted signature logs regardless of the dates they were created a provider can sign the log once and others can be added the date of signatures doesn't matter as long as their name doesn't change an attestation form is used when a signature is missing due to an inadvertent omission to identify the provider of service and authenticate that medical record information is accurate and complete an attestation statement must be signed and dated by the author of the medical record entry it's also helpful to provide an explanation of why the signature was omitted from the original medical record along with the attestation statement when submitting medical records and the signature was missing include the attestation statement in the documentation submitted this will be needed otherwise the record entry will not be a part of the review of that service to support medical necessity there is no cms approved attestation form one can be created but there needs to be certain elements on that form the information on the lower section of the form shown here indicates the required information meridian has created a form that providers can use and it's located under the forms other review entity form signature attestation statement when medical review is reviewing documentation and the determined signature requirements are not met they may contact the billing provider and ask to submit a signature log or attestation statement providers have 20 calendar days from the time of the phone call to submit this if this information is not submitted the reviewer will continue to review the claim and this may be an unfavorable outcome due to signature requirements not being met it's easier and faster when the service is being reviewed to have the attestation submitted with the records initially so the reviewer doesn't have to call to request it meridian has a signature requirements page under medical review for part b in both jurisdictions e and f meridian also offers documentation checklists at the links listed here more information can be found in the medicare learning network manual listed here more information can be found at the medicare learning network booklet listed here additional documentation information is available at the link listed here thank you for taking the time to listen to our tutorial continue your learning experience by referring to additional recordings available on the meridian website or youtube channel